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Fabulous place fabulous people John and rosa could not do enough for us would highly recommend. The location is excellent the beach is very close. We got to see the real Sicily with the friendly locals waving every morning making us feel so welcome. John very kindly organised a cook who made us a Sicilian feast one night and it was one of the highlights of our trip. Rosa organised a trip to mount etna with a local guy and this was another highlight for us. We were a group of 8 people and found the terrace fabulous in the evenings watching the sun go down looking out at the sea. The welcome we received was so warm and inviting that we would highly recommend anyone travelling to Sicily to stay here.

Stayed: June 2011

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Ask TT310710 about Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela

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FABULOUS guests!An owner/manager, must bend backwards to make his guests happy since they pay the bills!It was a great pleasure making you feel at home!Rosa and I will also be delighted in receiving and being your point of contact in Sicily!John & Rosa

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Rosa and John's villa was very appealing; comfortable and in a beautiful setting. The town is on the sea and close to other towns. John and Rosa were wonderful hosts, accessible and showed us special places while we were there. Molto grazie John and Rosa!

NancyVermont

Stayed: May 2011, traveled with friends

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Ask NDesRault about Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela

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For once the great words about this accommodation were not a bit exaggerated - the apartment met all the expectations we had and provided many happy surprises! Thank you John and Rosa, staying with you gave us a great insight on Sicily, we learnt many things about your country that I would think most tourists don't.

The beach was just around the corner and it was nice and quiet on the beach in the end of May for our daughter to build sand castles. The beach lido and its personnel were lovely, and those pizzas - yam.

In general Letojanni was an excellent choice for a holiday in Sicily: good selection of restaurants, cafés, nice playgrounds, the beach, things that a family on holiday needs but we were also in the middle of normal everyday life: had the bakery, butcher, veggie&fruit store close by, saw and heard the friendly neighbours chatting from one balcony to another... We really enjoyed it. As well as the fresh eggs, salads, zucchinis, herbs, lemons, loquats (nespolos) etc that all came from John's garden. There was also a bus connection from Letojanni to Taormina as well as a train connection to Messina and Catania, so going a around and about was very easy.

We can warmly recommend this place for anyone in need of a vacation! We'll surely be back!

Thanks John, Gracias Rosa!Regards from Finland, Erika, Janne & Aada

Stayed: May 2011, traveled with family

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Ask Erika_Koskue about Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela

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Erika, Janne & Aada,Some guest, like to keep their distance and privacy which is normal but you guys are family!any time you have a home in SICILY, P.S. CAN WE ARRANGE SOMETHING BETWEEN AADA AND DIEGO, ora mai voi siete SICULI!John, Rosa. Marco, Gian-luca, Diego,Nona and ZORO

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The apartments and John and Rosa are as amazing as the other reviewers say they are!!

John and Rosa are extremely generous, helpful and kind hosts and go out of their way to make sure your stay is one to remember. Their apartments are clean, spacious and equipped with everything you could possibly need and more. It was a perfect place to have relaxing and extremely enjoyable holiday.

It is one of those places you hate to leave and a dream about going back to!

Stayed: May 2011, traveled with friends

Ask 0rla about Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela

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We just came back from our 9-day-long Sicilian holiday that was as unfortunate as it can get EXCEPT for this apartment. We had terrible weather and many other problems, but there really is nothing negative we can write about our accomodation. We had read all these reviews before we chose Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela and they convinced us it would be the perfect place for our needs. It is very close to the beach, maybe 50m, one can see and hear the sea from the balcony. The balcony, which by the way is fantastic, it runs around 3 sides of the apartment (we stayed in the smaller apartment on the first floor). There's plenty of plants and flowers there. The neighbourhood is quiet and the neighbours are very nice, some speak English and German, they were always up to a chat or advise us about where to go. The building is completely modernized and very, very clean. The owners, John and Rosa, live on the ground floor so whatever help we needed, they would always be there for us. It truly felt like being with family. There was fresh fruit and a bottle of sparkling wine on the table when we arrived. It was Easter, and there was a huge Kinder egg for our 2.5-year-old son too :). On our first day John took us to what he called his natural supermarket, his garden. It was fantastic. We've seen all these vegetables and fruits that we only see in supermarkets here in Germany/Holland :). We even got fresh eggs, they were still warm! We prepared a fantastic omlette, and ever since our son is addicted to bacon&eggs! He also could not stop eating these small orange fruits called nespole, also from John's garden. Then one day John got us our very own cook, who cooked a dinner for us (my first time eating rabbit - it was DELICIOUS, thank you Carmela!) - our small luxurious compensation for the bad weather ;P.The price also included transport from Catania airport which we foolishly did not use as we wanted to have our own car for the whole trip. It was a bad idea, turned out to be much more expensive than what we were told by the car rental company. So maybe it is a better idea to rent a car locally later, as John suggested, only for those days when one wants to take a day-trip.Taormina is right next to Letojanni and it's stunning. On top of the hill, wonderful view on the sea below and on the Etna in the background. Truly beautiful.I just think we were very lucky with this apartment, the location is great, the owners are fantastic, we really cannot write negatives. So thank you John and Rosa for making our stay so pleasant, we surely will be back - this time in summer to make sure we have better weather :).

Stayed: April 2011, traveled with family

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Ask MaximLava about Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela

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Recently, 3 friends and I visited Sicily for the first time and it won't be the last ! It all began with owner, John Garufi of 'Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela' collecting us from Catania airport and bringing us to the apartment. John is an incredibly friendly man who went out of his way to make us feel welcome while describing many interesting places we must see during our trip. In no time at all, we reached our destination and John's son, Marco took care of all our baggage as John showed us around Letojanni for places to buy provisions, places to eat, places to see, nothing was left out. We then made our way up to the apartment and it was exactly as it was described...fantastic! Rosa, John's wife, showed us around and welcomed us with a huge bouquet of flowers, A bottle of Prosecco and a bowl of fruit. They couldn't have been more pleasant. Our rooms were exceptional, double rooms each and plenty of space. We really appreciated the air conditioning in each room as tempatures rose ...bliss ! The location was perfect for us, we could enjoy the beach life during the day (two mins walking) and go for a lovely meal at night in one of the many restaurants dotted along the promenade or head into Taormina for the evening, literally ten mins by taxi. Our first day on the beach, John came down to make sure we were comfortable with our 4 sunbeds and umbrellas. We were introduced to Fabio, the lifeguard (very easy on the eye ;) ) who actually delivered cold beers to us on the beach! What more could you ask for ???? We took a trip to Lipari and Volcano, Islands of the north coast of Sicily where we bathed in hot volcanic baths which left your skin feeling like silk (there was a rather odd odour from the baths, but that wears off and it was worth it! ) All in all, we couldn't fault this 2 week trip. It was extremely relaxing and our hosts went out of their way to make sure we had a great time. I would recommend this apartment to anyone looking to be spoilt in Sicily. On our last morning John took us out for a traditional Sicilian breakfast which was amazing ! We will definately return to Sicily and the kind hospitality of John ,Rosa and their family.

Cathy Gurry

Stayed: September 2010, traveled with friends

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Ask CathyG_10 about Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela

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Everything already said about Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela by other travelers is absolutely true. From the extreme hospitality of John and Rosa (the owners of the B&B), to the beautiful view of the rooftop terrace, the in was absolutely perfect. It's big enough for families, small enough for just two people, and even have a handicapped room available to accomadate everyone! We were treated like old friends, and taken on the most amazing excursion. It started with a stop at Linguaglossa for a granita (the traditional Sicilian breakfast!) and a taste of their almond paste cookies; from there we started our trip with a road called Paesi Etnei (which only the locals could know about). We drove to Passo Pisiaro where we discovered (and tasted!) that Sicily produces fantastic wines! The drive continued with a beautiful scenic tour of Randazzo and the Old Norman Fortress (make sure you have you’re camera ready!!). Our next stop was the region of Nebrodi, in less than half an hour we went from a view of lava fields and vineyards to a view of pine trees, lush green vegetation and much cooler temperature (very refreshing, almost felt like we were back in Canada!) Lunch was at a spectacular family run agriturismo called Barraka Du Zio Rizzu. While our host John Garufi ordered our meal (which I’ll get to later!), we were sent on an enchanting horseback ride through the mountains. On our return we were presented with the biggest array of typical Sicilian entrees (various cold cuts, home made cheeses, and so many other plates that I can even remember their names!!). Even though that would have been more than enough, next came out an enormous plate of pork chops and castrato (delicious mutton cooked to perfection) and of course wine! Still the best part was dessert…Home baked hazelnut cookies (the hazelnuts were grown straight from the region) accompanied by a delicate cream of hazelnut and chocolate liquor. Amazing… The tour was not even close to over either; we got back into the car and continued on to a place called Castel Umberto (another photo op!) a beautiful lookout of the Tirreno Sea and The Eolian Islands. After an amazing view of the coast and the seaside town of Brolo, we stopped for a swim in San Giorgio. After 3 hours of swimming in turquoise water and sunbathing on a sandy beach (unlike the pebble beaches found closer to the Inn), we hit the highway back home. This excursion was by far the highlight of our trip, and only offered by John and Rosa. (We had taken an excursion to Palermo, which was sold on the boardwalk, and we were very disappointed!) We can’t thank them enough. I could talk about it forever, but the only way to truly appreciate it would be to experience all the beauty yourself!

Stayed: August 2010

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Ask dahliorio about Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela

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Rosa and I, thank-you and wish we had more time available to show you the many wonders of SICILY!It is a pleasure to serve and accomadate guests with your nature!Whenever you decide to visit Siciy, you have a home!Please avoid August and the crowds,---------you will be suprised how much you will save and Rosa and I will have more time to show you the secrets of this mystic island!

Again thanks for your review.regardsJohn A. Garufi

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Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela is located on the Bay of Taormina, 35 meters from the beach and 3 kilometers from the exit of highway A18.Ideal location for someone who wants to be close to the sea with the possibility of exploring HISTORIC TAORMINA, and all wonderfull sites easily accessible from highway A18.This fully renovated mansion offers all comforts and ammenities you find in your home.Rosa and John, your hosts, live in the same structure and are at your disposal for any necessity you might have during your vacation....more less

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Casa Vacanza Donna Carmela Letojanni, Sicily

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